Impact of Timanian thrust systems on the late Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic tectonic evolution of the Barents Sea and Svalbard

The Svalbard Archipelago consists of three basement terranes that record a complex Neoproterozoic–Phanerozoic tectonic history, including four contractional events (Grenvillian, Caledonian, Ellesmerian, and Eurekan) and two episodes of collapse- to rift-related extension (Devonian–Carboniferous and late Cenozoic). Previous studies suggest that these three terranes likely accreted during the early to mid-Paleozoic Caledonian and Ellesmerian orogenies. Yet recent geochronological analyses show that the northwestern and southwestern terranes of Svalbard both record an episode of amphibolite (–eclogite) facies metamorphism in the latest Neoproterozoic, which may relate to the 650–550 Ma Timanian Orogeny identified in northwestern Russia, northern Norway, and the Russian Barents Sea. However, discrete Timanian structures have yet to be identified in Svalbard and the Norwegian Barents Sea. Through analysis of seismic reflection, as well as regional gravimetric and magnetic data, this study demonstrates the presence of continuous thrust systems that are several kilometers thick, NNE-dipping, deeply buried, and extend thousands of kilometers from northwestern Russia to northeastern Norway, the northern Norwegian Barents Sea, and the Svalbard Archipelago. The consistency in orientation and geometry, as well as apparent linkage between these thrust systems and those recognized as part of the Timanian Orogeny in northwestern Russia and Novaya Zemlya, suggests that the mapped structures are likely Timanian. If correct, these findings would imply that Svalbard's three basement terranes and the Barents Sea were accreted onto northern Norway during the Timanian Orogeny and should hence be attached to Baltica and northwestern Russia in future Neoproterozoic–early Paleozoic plate tectonics reconstructions. In the Phanerozoic, the study suggests that the interpreted Timanian thrust systems represent major preexisting zones of weakness that were reactivated, folded, and overprinted by (i.e., controlled the formation of new) brittle faults during later tectonic events. These faults are still active at present and can be linked to folding and offset of the seafloor.

Molecular labeling of Vrn, Ppd genes and vernalization response of the ultra-early lines of spring bread wheat Triticum aestivum L.

Background. The knowledge of genetic control of vernalization response in the ultra-early accessions can facilitate bread wheat breeding for a high adaptive capacity. Materials and methods. The study involved the ultra-early lines Rico (k-65588) and Rimax (k-67257) as the earliest maturing lines in the VIR bread wheat collection, as well as 10 Rifor lines (k-67120, k-67121, k-67250-67256) with a high rate of development before heading. A late ripening accession ‘Forlani Roberto’ (k-42641) and ‘Leningradskaya 6’ variety (k-64900), regionally adapted to Northwestern Russia, were also studied. The alleles of the Vrn and Ppd genes were identified by the PCR analysis using the allele-specific primers published in literature sources. The response to vernalization (30 days at 3°C) and a short 12-hour day were determined using a methodology accepted at VIR. Results. The ultra-early lines respond to a short 12-hour day and 30-day vernalization very poorly. The genotype of ultra-early wheat lines is mainly represented by three genes, Vrn-A1, Vrn-B1a, and Vrn-D1, which ensure insensitivity to vernalization alongside with the expression of Ppd-D1a, which controls the response to photoperiod. The ultra-early lines Rifor 4 and Rifor 5 have a recessive allele vrn-A1a, like the original ‘Forlani Roberto’ accession. The lines Rifor 4 and Rifor 5 are vernalization-insensitive under the long day and have a very weak response under the short day (3.5±0.42 days and 4.0±0.61 days, respectively). However, ‘Forlani Roberto’ with the vrn-A1a gene responds to vernalization in the same way under any photoperiod (12.3±1.58 days and 12.2±0.74 days). Conclusion The ultra-early lines of bread wheat Rifor 4 and Rifor 5 with the vrn-A1a gene can have no response to vernalization or have a low level response. This effect can be a reason for the formation of a complex of modifier genes along with the dominant gene Vrn-D1, which forms during the hybridization of F7-8 Rico × Forlani Roberto. The ultra-early lines of bread wheat Rico, Rimax and Rifor (k-67120, k-67121, k-67250-67256) can serve as effective sources of genes for earliness in common wheat breeding.

Iron, Phosphorus and Trace Elements in Mussels’ Shells, Water, and Bottom Sediments from the Severnaya Dvina and the Onega River Basins (Northwestern Russia)

Trace elements in freshwater bivalve shells are widely used for reconstructing long-term changes in the riverine environments. However, Northern Eurasian regions, notably the European Russian North, susceptible to strong environmental impact via both local pollution and climate warming, are poorly studied. This work reports new data on trace elements accumulation by widespread species of freshwater mussels Unio spp. and Anodonta anatina in the Severnaya Dvina and the Onega River Basin, the two largest subarctic river basins in the Northeastern Europe. We revealed that iron and phosphorous accumulation in Unio spp. and Anodonta anatina shells have a strong relationship with a distance from the mouth of the studied river (the Severnaya Dvina). Based on multiparametric statistics comprising chemical composition of shells, water, and sediments, we demonstrated that the accumulation of elements in the shell depends on the environment of the biotope. Differences in the elemental composition of shells between different taxa are associated with ecological preferences of certain species to the substrate. The results set new constraints for the use of freshwater mussels’ shells for monitoring riverine environments and performing paleo-reconstructions.

Age, Genesis, and Seismogenic Deformations of the Vuoksa River Terraces on the Karelian Isthmus (Northwestern Russia)

—Terraces at four hypsometric levels were studied in the Vuoksa River basin (northern part of the Karelian Isthmus, NW Russia). New data on nine sections of late Quaternary–Holocene sediments have been obtained. Their age has been determined (for the first time for surface deposits in the studied region) in the interval from 90 to 2 ka. The terrace sediments are disturbed by deformations (faults, folds, and liquefaction) caused by six strong earthquakes in that period. The relationships among the terrace levels, ages, stratigraphy, and structures of loose sediments point to their formation under the impact of differentiated tectonic motions triggered by the activation of the ancient “Vuoksa” fault zone in the late Neopleistocene and Holocene.

Modern Museum and Paramuseum: Existential Alienation and Actualization

The article is devoted to the study of the problem of alienation of culture in a modern museum and the processes of actualization of objects and phenomena of history in the space of the paramuseum. In the center of the author’s attention is the theme of creating the illusion of existential comfort. It explores the contradiction between the need for museification of culture in order for a modern person to be able to appeal to it when building one’s own identity, and the constant desire to place the culture of the past on a safe reservation. The issue of aestheticization of cultural objects in the museum space and the role of a museum in interpreting, preserving and distorting their meaning is raised. The museum, created as a repository of antiquities, a collection of masterpieces, today has become the most sensitive system that responds to changes in the life of culture and society. An axiological analysis of modern museums shows their growing popularity as an element of the entertainment industry, while their aesthetic, analytical, and intellectual role is becoming obscure. Respect for the museum as a keeper of cultural memory, for the focus of scientific life is disappearing. Instead, a simplified “attraction museum” and paramuseum is coming to the fore, creating endless games with historical objects, reconstructions, visitors and interpretations of the events of history and culture. The authors of the article are among the first to turn to the concept of “paramuseum” and give it a comprehensive assessment. For the first time, a scientific classification of paramuseums (on the example of paramuseums of northwestern Russia) is proposed. Their main features and characteristics are identified. A synergistic approach to the processes of actualization and alienation of cultural objects in the museum environment made it possible to include the viewer, the recipient, as the third, necessary component of this system. This made it possible to conclude that museum values are alienated or updated not by themselves, but only in relation to the “person watching.” Thus, modern museums and paramuseums are a form of value-based self-consciousness of society, demonstrating the total stratification of post-culture society, its fragmentation into value clusters that can represent culture as a whole only in the process of analytical consciousness, but not in the collection of subject series.

Distribution of ground beetles of the genus Bembidion (Coleoptera, Carabidae) in the agricultural landscape in Northwestern Russia

We have observed seven species of predator beetles of the genus Bembidion in the agricultural landscape of the Leningrad Region (Northwestern Russia) between the years 2008 and 2018. These species reach their highest abundance in sun-exposed areas, especially mesophilic B. quadrimaculatum Linnaeus, 1761, B. properans (Stephens, 1828), B. lampros (Herbst, 1784), and B. femoratum Sturm, 1825. A few mesohygrophilic B. guttula (Fabricius, 1792) and B. gilvipes (Sturm, 1825) live primarily in areas of dense vegetation. Finally, the hygrophilic B. bruxellense (Wesmael, 1835) was only observed on the most humid soils. Assemblages of Bembidion ground beetles were separated in the fields, field boundaries, and adjacent habitats.